Fiber: Why it's Important and How to Increase It in Your Diet

Fiber is one of the most underrated nutrients in our diet. Eating a varied diet with fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains can help you get plenty of this important nutrient. It has a number of health benefits like lowering the risk of chronic diseases and helping with weight management.

Being overweight can affect overall health and life insurance coverage. It increases the risk of heart disease, some types of cancer, and diabetes. There are options for life insurance for overweight individuals, but it may be more costly especially if you have other health issues.

Fiber is one nutrient that can help keep your weight in the ideal range. We will discuss the importance of fiber, foods that have fiber, recommendations, and how this nutrient is linked to health and life insurance coverage.

Why is fiber important?

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods. Humans don't have the digestive enzyme to break down this carbohydrate, so it passes through the body undigested. Despite this, it has many important health benefits.

Fiber doesn't add any calories to the diet because it's not digested and absorbed. It's like a broom that sweeps along your digestive tract to keep foods and waste moving along.

First and foremost, it helps keep you regular and prevents constipation. It absorbs water and moves through the digestive system, keeps things moving along, and makes your stool bulky and soft to pass through your body more easily.

A high-fiber diet also helps maintain the health of your digestive tract. It can prevent hemorrhoids and diverticular disease. Diverticular disease occurs when you have small pockets in your colon. Fiber keeps waste moving to prevent it from getting caught in these pockets in your colon.

Also, it absorbs water in the stomach and expands, which leads to a feeling of fullness. You'll feel satisfied and full when you eat more fiber-rich foods. This can help with weight management efforts because you will eat less and feel hungry less often.  

Fiber also helps manage blood glucose levels because it slows the digestion and absorption of sugar. It can help prevent spikes in blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity in those with diabetes.

It also plays a role in heart health. The soluble fiber found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and oats can help lower blood cholesterol levels.

This important nutrient can also lower the risk of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is one of the top five most common cancer types. It is also one of the deadliest types of cancer, so preventing it is important.

 Which foods have fiber?

Plant foods are the foods to look at when it comes to fiber. The best dietary sources are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Whole grains include brown rice, oats, quinoa, and other 100% whole grains.

Soy products like tofu, edamame, and tempeh also have fiber. Meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products are lacking in this nutrient.

Here are some examples of high-fiber foods:

● One cup of peas or one ounce of chia seeds has about 10 grams.

● One cup of raspberries contains 8 grams.

● A medium avocado, one half-cup of lentils, or one half-cup of black beans has about 7 grams.

● One cup of whole-grain spaghetti or one medium pear has 6 grams.

● One medium apple with skin, one cup of broccoli, one cup of oatmeal, or one cup of quinoa with skin has 5 grams.

● Three cups of popcorn, one cup of brown rice, or one ounce of almonds contain 4 grams.

Processed foods like fruit juice, chips, desserts, and junk food are low in fiber. Refined carbohydrates like white bread, white pasta, and some cereals have little to no fiber. Processing usually removes this nutrient and many of the nutrients in the fruits or grains.

Some foods have functional fiber like inulin or pectin added to them. This functional fiber has some health benefits but is not as effective as natural sources. Too much functional fiber can lead to gas, bloating, or abdominal upset.

Prebiotic foods are those that are high in fiber and also help feed and flourish the healthy bacteria that live in your colon. Research is helping us learn about the many health benefits of these healthy bacteria that live inside your colon. Apples, garlic, onions, and asparagus are examples of prebiotic foods.

Fiber Recommendations

The current recommendation for fiber is 14 grams for every 1,000 calories you consume. So if your daily recommended intake consists of 2,000 calories, you should eat 28 grams daily.

In general, most women need 21 to 25 grams daily. Men need between 30 and 38 grams daily. Children need between 10 to 25 grams daily, depending on their age, sex, and activity level.

Most Americans only get about 15 grams daily, so we could add more plant foods to our diet to help raise this amount. Americans are overeating processed, packaged, and restaurant foods, which are low in fiber. If we increased our fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, or whole grains, it would help us achieve the recommended daily amount of this essential nutrient.

It's best to get your fiber from plant foods, where it is naturally occurring. There are supplements that can add fiber to your diet, but these should be used carefully or under a health care provider's recommendation.

If you want to increase your fiber intake, do so slowly. You should also drink plenty of water and fluids if you are increasing your intake.

Increasing your fiber intake too quickly can cause digestive problems such as cramping, bloating, or constipation. Your body has to adjust to the increased intake, so making small changes in your diet is the best way to do this. 

Increase Your Fiber Intake

It doesn't have to be difficult to increase your fiber intake. You just need to plan fiber-rich meals and snacks, adjust your recipes to include more fiber, or keep foods that are high in fiber readily available.

One easy step is to replace half of your grains with whole grains. Whole grains have all three parts of the grain kernel so they retain the fiber and nutrients during processing.

You should look for the word "whole" on the ingredient list for grain products. If it's the first ingredient, you know that food is 100% whole grain and a good source of fiber.

You can also eat the edible skin or peel from fruits and vegetables to increase your intake. Whole fruits have more fiber than fruit juice.

You can add more fiber into recipes by substituting up to half of the flour with whole-grain flour. Add bran, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, or oats to many recipes to increase the fibrous content.

Beans are an inexpensive source of fiber. Add them to entrees, use them as a side dish, or replace some or all of the meat with beans in recipes.

There are easy ways you can add more of this nutrient to all of your daily meals and snacks. Here are some examples of meals and snacks with high-fiber foods:

● Apple slices and whole-grain crackers with string cheese for a snack

● Celery and carrots with hummus for a snack

● Oats with banana slices for breakfast

● Salmon with a baked potato and carrots for dinner

● Teriyaki tempeh with broccoli and quinoa for dinner

● Turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with a spinach and tomato side salad for lunch

● Whole-grain cereal with strawberries for breakfast

● Whole-grain tortilla with black beans, tomatoes, and low-fat cheese for lunch

As you can see, these meal and snack ideas have a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, and seeds to increase your fiber intake.

The Connection Between a Healthy Diet and Life Insurance

A healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean protein is your best bet to help manage weight. It also helps prevent chronic health issues like heart disease and diabetes. A variety of different foods also gives you the nutrients needed to boost energy, enhance immunity, and improve overall well-being.  

Life insurance is important to protect your family's finances in case something unexpected happens. It can cover end-of-life and burial expenses that may accumulate or occur suddenly.

Life insurance rates are based on age, gender, occupation, health status, and medical history. The rates are lowest when you are young and healthy. Eating a healthy diet, staying active, and managing weight are important factors to stay healthy to keep your insurance rates lower.

Are life insurance quotes free? Yes, there are free quotes. You can compare insurance rates online or work with an insurance agent to find the best rates for life insurance coverage. It's important to shop around to find the most affordable coverage to protect your family.

Eat Fiber-Rich Foods to Manage Weight

It just takes a little planning and creativity to get more fiber-rich foods throughout the day. Fiber not only helps manage weight, but it can also help lower your risk of developing many chronic health issues. Getting enough of this nutrient to manage your weight also helps make life insurance more affordable.

Melissa Morris writes and researches for the life insurance comparison site, EffortlessInsurance.com. She is a university professor of nutrition, a certified exercise physiologist, and a certified sports nutritionist.